


written in the blood

by irreputablyyours



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Episode: s01e04 The Poisoned Chalice, M/M, POV Outsider, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26743720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irreputablyyours/pseuds/irreputablyyours
Summary: The boy is clearly in love.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 159





	written in the blood

Nimueh is not the unprepared type. She has been struck unaware once, when Uther banned all magic from his kingdom and tried to execute her - and she will not have it happening again. When she plots to take down Camelot, she plots it thoroughly, and she starts with Emrys. 

Emrys, as she’s found from her time observing him, is a pathetic disgrace to their kind. He runs around clumsily after a prince who despises him, concealing his magic when he could have them all bowing at his feet, refusing to take any steps towards usurping the very people who keep him down. She does not expect it to be very difficult to deceive him - he is naive. Her presumptions turn out correct. 

She expected him to drink poison and die easily, to be out of her way, the first match in setting the whole country ablaze. 

But even she has to stop and tilt her head when she hears the conversation between him and Arthur Pendragon; she could  _ swear  _ she hears Pendragon say that  _ he’ll  _ drink the glass of unconfirmed poison, rather than his servant. 

She shakes her head. It cannot be. She has heard much of this Prince - he is bullheaded and stupid and prattish, or brave and courageous and a great warrior, depending on who one asks - but he is not  _ selfless.  _ There is no such thing as a selfless Prince, nor a selfless King. Uther had proved that. 

So she shrugs it off, and continues with her plan. She does not deign it necessary to draw up a backup plan assuming she heard correctly - the slightness of the possibility is not worth her time. 

But then Arthur (she dislikes calling him Pendragon - it reminds her too much of his father) is crouching at his servant’s side, looking at him as though he held the entire world in his hands. Nimueh raises her eyebrows, and peers closer. 

“I’ll do it,” He announces to Gaius and the servant girl. “I’ll get the flower to save him.” 

Nimueh is floored. What prince risks his life for a servant like that? Surely anyone with Uther Pendragon’s blood could not be noble like that - and in any case, it makes no  _ sense.  _ Even if the servant was valuable to the prince, surely everyone - especially the prince himself - would be able to understand that not everyone can do a king’s work, whereas just about any old peasant can pick up a broom. 

Either Arthur Pendragon is monumentally stupid, or there is something she fails to perceive. Nimueh much prefers the former option, but by now the fact is bothering her enough that she is forced to consider the second. 

She blinks as she watches him traverse across the countryside, not faltering for a single step. When he meets her, she tries to flirt; put a hand to his wrist, hold his gaze for just a second too long - but he ignores her completely, concerned for her sob story, but mostly for the information she holds. 

She leaves him to die in the cave, and shrugs it off. If it’s about Arthur Pendragon, it matters not, now; he’s as good as dead. 

*

Except that he doesn’t die. 

Nimueh has  no idea  what happens in that cave, but she’s annoyed beyond words that she didn’t see it. She is  _ sure  _ that this is Emrys’ doing, somehow. 

*

She watches as Arthur Pendragon is locked up for trying to save his friend,  _ begging  _ for his father to allow him to save his servant. She can scarcely believe her eyes; here is the prince of Camelot, allowing himself to be locked up -  _ encouraging  _ it, even - all in the name of saving a servant. 

The boy is clearly in love. 

Emrys and Arthur Pendragon. Sorcerer and King. She thinks of Arthur’s bravery, of how Emrys had to have saved him somehow. 

They’d make an intimidating pair, should Arthur ever realise who - or rather what - Emrys is.

She watches as Arthur looks upon Emrys with a secret smile on his face, across a table of nobles. She watches as Emrys glances back, catching his gaze and mouthing something that makes Arthur’s eyes light up with laughter. There’s a taste of bile in the back of her throat - Emrys, with all his magic, is laughing and smiling at and  _ loving  _ the prince who has played such a hand in enslaving their people. 

She wonders how everyone - especially Uther - could be so oblivious. For a man with a keen eye for magic, he’s got no sense of emotions. Makes sense, she supposes; he carved his heart out years ago. 

She looks back to Arthur and Emrys, and shakes her head. Emrys has tripped as he walked over to Arthur, and Arthur cuffs him off the back of the head, grinning and laughing and not noticing that his hand lingers for far too long. 

Nimueh looks at them and thinks:  _ this cannot be allowed to happen.  _ She has already seen the lengths Arthur will go for their friendship; she has no desire to see what he, or - god forbid - Emrys would do should that bond turn to love. 

It’s dangerous.  She must stop them, before it’s too late. 


End file.
